Candy bar' insult not bothering Boykin

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, left, fumbles the ball near the goal line as Oakland Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler, right, looks on during the third quarter of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. An unnecessary roughness penalty against the Raiders was called on the play giving the Steelers a touchdown. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Why the Steelers wide receiver was calling out Eagles rookie cornerback Brandon Boykin, who defends that area of the field, is a head-scratcher.

Flexing his jaw muscles just days before the Steelers entertain the Eagles, Brown described Boykin to reporters as “the candy bar.” Snickers, he added.

“Candy bar?” Boykin said. “I guess it’s an insult. So take it as that.”

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Brown probably was giving away part of the game plan. Fleshing out weaknesses in the Eagles defense from their game with the Cardinals, who run a similar offense, it makes sense to take your best wide receiver and move him all over field. It prevents starting cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from getting into a groove. Larry Fitzgerald had a lot of success doing that. Brown leads the Steelers with 18 receptions for 240 yards and a touchdown.

Suggesting Boykin is the weak link in the Eagles’ defense at least raises the possibility the Steelers will attack there.

“I think what ends up happening is when you have Nnamdi on one side and Dominique on the other side, they might not throw the ball outside as much,” Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo said. “When you have two Pro Bowl-type corners on the outside and then you have a rookie, it’s not Boykin’s fault.”

Then again it could have been simply a bullying situation. Compared to Boykin, who lists at 5-9, 182 pounds, the 5-10, 186-pound Brown isn’t exactly Megatron, also known as Calvin Johnson of the Lions.

The Steelers have bigger fish to fry. They’re not used to a losing record. It wasn’t easy waking up each day of the bye 1-2.

The Steelers are getting a handful of players back from injuries this week, including running back Rashard Mendenhall. If the 225-pound Mendenhall is healthy, his repaired ACL truly ready to roll, he would kick-start a run game stuck in park.

Sooner or later, of course, Ben Roethlisberger is going to put the ball in the air. The way the Eagles rush the quarterback, there aren’t going to be a lot of deep routes unless they’re play-action.

With the Eagles, the pass rush and the coverage go hand in hand with third-down defense. And only the Texans and the Bears are better there than the Eagles, who have limited the opposition to just a 26.9 percent conversion rate on the get-off down.

“I think when you’re working with a number like that, you’ve got a chance to play great defense,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “All great defenses I’ve ever seen or been associated with spend a great deal of time on the sideline. And if you’re getting off the field at that clip, you’re doing just that.”

That brings us back to Boykin. In all seriousness, he’s had more downs where he’s played like a veteran than a rookie, although he also took some lumps covering Fitzgerald.

Boykin was never called out at the University of Georgia, so this is new ground for him. A part of Boykin wanted to take it as a weird compliment.

“He’s giving me a little bit more attention,” Boykin said. “I’ve got to go out and do what I do. And if I do it right than he’s actually helped me in a sense. So tell him I appreciate it.”

Boykin also is secure in the knowledge he will have help strategically during the game, and morally between plays. If Brown launches into the “candy bar” rant, Boykin’s teammates will have his back.

“I love hitting anybody that comes across my face,” safety Kurt Coleman said. “I’m sure we’ll have some words to share when it comes game time. It is what it is.”

Coleman, by the way, prefers Three Musketeers. He also wants Boykin to stay focused on his job, not what he might say to Brown if or when the time is right.

“He knows through game study, through game film, how you’re going to be able to attack a wide receiver and all their tendencies,” Coleman said of Boykin. “That’s how you combat what anyone says about you — through preparation. And I know he’s prepared. He’s been here every morning. I’m not real worried about it.”